Jensen beats the weather for maiden series pole

Mikkel Jensen took his maiden European Formula 3 Championship pole position at Spa-Francorchamps as he made the best of the conditions after rain caused a couple of jumbled up grids for races two and three.

The Mücke Motorsport driver set the best time of the session of 2m13.707s to take his and his team’s first pole of the season, with the Dane beating a trio of Prema Powerteam drivers in the process.

Frenchman Brandon Maisano will line-up in second place, with Canadian Lance Stroll and Swedish driver Felix Rosenqvist filling out row two for Prema.

Sam MacLeod had his best qualifying of the year in fifth for Motopark, ahead of the ever-improving Pietro Fittipaldi of Fortec Motorsports, while the fourth Prema Powerteam entry of Jake Dennis will start seventh alongside Santino Ferrucci of Mücke Motorsport.

Dorian Boccolacci will start ninth for Signature ahead of Sergio Sette Camara of Motopark, with both drivers well placed to secure their first points of the year.

For race three, Dennis will start from the front of the grid with Jensen alongside him on the front row, while Maisano and Markus Pommer of Motopark will start on the second row.

MacLeod and Fittipaldi will again fill out row three, ahead of Rosenqvist and Stroll, with Sette Camara and Callum Ilott of Carlin completing the top ten.

Championship contender Charles Leclerc will start both races from thirteenth on the grid for Van Amersfoort Racing, while current Championship leader Antonio Giovinazzi starts twelfth for race one but eighteenth for race two.

The session was affected by two red flags, with Signature’s Alexander Albon crashing early in the session, while Ilott caused the second stoppage after also crashing.

Tatiana Calderon will start both races from the back of the grid after the Carlin driver was forced to remain in the pits with a mechanical issue for much of the session.